A long time ago, Herb Carneal or Vin Scully or some other old coot told me that aside from certain specific matchups, at any given point in a season most major league starters aren't remembering much more about their season than their three most recent starts.

Another time, my dad pointed out to me how USA Today's Sports section provides information about that day's starters' three most recent outings.  (Pops tells me that this is the absolute minimum amount of information that a gambler would want to know before calling in his action.)

So you see... 3. It's the magic number.  Yes, it is.  It's the magic number.

And if you allow each pitcher in your favorite team's rotation to amass three starts and then stop to see how they've all done during their three respective starts, you should be about fifteen games (or five three-game series) further along than the last time you took inventory.  And if you fudge the math to keep things simple (and keep things magic!) you'll find that fifteen games is about 10% of your 162-game baseball season.

So here we are.  Roughly 10% of the way through the Reds' 2008 season.

How we lookin'?

Aaron Harang during this first 10% of the season:  27ip  22h  10er  7bb  21k  4hr

3/31  v  AZ:   6ip  3h   2er  2bb  6k  2hr
4/5  v PHIL:  7ip  6h   2er  3bb  6k  0hr
4/10 @ MIL:  8ip  5h  1er  0bb  3k  0hr
4/15 @ CHI: 6ip  8h  5er  2bb  6k  2hr

Harang's worst inning:
bottom 5th CHI leads 3-2:  Dempster flyout - Fontenot 2B - Theriot BB - Lee HR -Ramirez lineout - Fukudome 1B - DeRosa K

Harang's stats without that inning:  26ip  19h  7er  6bb  20k  3hr

Bronson Arroyo during this first 10% of the season:  15.2ip  19h  9er  5bb  14k  5hr

4/2   v   AZ:   5ip   4h   2er   3bb  5k  1hr
4/7  v  PHI:  5.2ip  9h  5er  0bb  6k  4hr(!)
4/12 @PIT:  5ip    6h  2er  2bb  3k  0hr

Arroyo's worst inning:
top 1st PIT at bat:  Rollins HR - Victorino flyout - Utley groundout - Howard 2B - Burrell HR - Jenkins popout

Arroyo's stats without that inning:  14.2ip  16 h  6er  5bb  14k  3hr

Johnny Cueto during this first 10% of the season:  19.1ip  11h  8er  1bb(!)  24k  4hr

4/3   v   AZ:  7ip   1h  1er  0bb  10k  0hr
4/8  v PHI:  6.1ip  5h  2er  0bb  8k  1hr
4/13 @PIT: 6 ip  5h  5er  1bb  6k  2hr

Cueto's worst inning:
bottom 6th PIT leads 2-0:  McLouth 2B - Rivas lineout - Bay 1B - Doumit sacfly - Nady HR - Mientkiewicz flyout

Cuetos' stats without that inning:  18.1ip  8h  5er  1bb(!)  24K  3hr

Josh Fogg during the first 10% of the season:  11ip  16h  16er  5bb  9k  4hr

4/4  v  PHI:  4ip  5h  6er  3bb  3k  2hr
4/9 @ MIL:  5ip  4h  1er  0bb  3k 1hr
4/16 @ CHI:  2ip  7h  9er  2bb  3k  1hr

Fogg's worst inning:
bottom 3rd CHI leads 4-1:  Lee HR - Ramirez BB - Fukudome 1B - DeRosa BB - Soto 2B - Johnson sacfly - Zambrano 1B - Fontenot groundout - Theriot 1B - Lee BB - Ramirez K (after a wild pitch scores Fontenot)

Fogg's stats without that inning:  10ip  11h  10er  2bb  9k  3hr

Edinson Volquez during the first 10% of the season:  15.1ip  12h  2er(!)  9bb  16k  0hr

4/6  v  PHI:  5.1ip  5h  1er  2bb  8k  0hr
4/11 @ PIT:  5ip   3h  0er  3bb  1k  0hr
4/17 @CHI:  5ip  4h  1er  4bb  7k  0hr

Volquez's worst inning:
bottom 2nd, no score, CHI at bat:  Ramirez 1B - Fukudome K - DeRosa BB - Johnson 1B - Blanco K - LIlly BB - Fontenot groundout

Volquez's stats without that inning:  14.1ip  10h  1er(!)  7bb  15k  0hr